The present invention relates to a boat hull and more particularly to a boat hull fabricated from a large number of long plank elements. The boat hull may be utilised in the manufacture of a boat, particularly a leisure or recreation boat, such as a dinghy, a sailing boat, or even an ocean-going yacht.
At the present time most leisure or recreation boats are made of glass fibre reinforced plastics material, since this material can be worked easily and this material is also corrosion resistant. However, the use of a plastics material for a boat hull has certain drawbacks, since the material is combustible, and also the material may give off a bad smell. Also, the manufacture of the boat hulls from reinforced plastics material is associated with several disadvantages and risks with regard to the working environment, since the materials utilised emit impurities which are detrimental to health during the fabrication of the hulls.
In view of the above mentioned drawbacks and disadvantages other materials have been utilised in manufacturing boat hulls, such as steel and aluminum. These materials are particularly advantageous since they are non-combustible, and thus the use of such materials provides some degree of safety in case of a fire on board. However, the use of such materials is associated with the disadvantage that the hulls are difficult to fabricate in manufacture, since the hulls must be formed from separate hull elements which are welded together. As is well known, welding is an operation that involves high manufacturing costs, especially with a low production run.
In view of the high prices of leisure and reaction boats manufactured as described above, it has been proposed for such boats to be fabricated by handymen or hobbyists, and thus there has been some demand for construction kits. By providing such construction kits it has been possible for handymen and hobbyists to produce boats made of a plastics material at an economic price, but the potential health hazard to the handymen or hobbyist has been considerable. Up to now it has not been practicable for the handymen or hobbyist to produce a home-made boat from steel or aluminum with the aid of a construction kit.
Aluminum is a material that has been found to be particularly suitable for use in fabricating boat hulls, since it has a high corrosion resistance in marine use, and it also has a low weight when compared with steel. Also aluminum is a material that can be worked with easily. However, up to now it has not been possible to produce boat hulls with double-curved hull sides of aluminum at a competitive price, especially with a low production run.